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Defretting ?
- Thread starter 20one
- Start date
I defretted my bass a long time ago, it feels/sounds pretty good, Looks VERY, VERY bad.
My frets were " I " shaped, and from the First fret to the last it 'ripped' all the way up, it looks so sad, Just looking at it makes me unhappy, but it plays/Feels great! Get like 600grit sandpaper and Sand the hell out of it. Took me an hour for 'perfect' sanding.
My frets were " I " shaped, and from the First fret to the last it 'ripped' all the way up, it looks so sad, Just looking at it makes me unhappy, but it plays/Feels great! Get like 600grit sandpaper and Sand the hell out of it. Took me an hour for 'perfect' sanding.
Originally posted by Jonki
i defretted my bass, then i played a song on my bass, but the sound was sloppy and rotten. i didn't sand down the neck. the frets are back on now.i need some good tips for my 2nd try.
regards Jonki
Everytime I have defretted a bass I have always hated the way it sounded until I had a professional do a good set up for me. Try taking your bass to a pro to have it properly set up after you do your defret.
My own shop charge for something like this would be between $50 - $100 or perhaps a little more depending on the neck selected for defretting and the work requested. The more rare or exotic necks would command the higher end of the scale.
Well I did it too now! Thanks again for all the good info in this thread! I still neet to get som epoxi, but the frets are gone, the slots filled and the board sanded, all in one weekend 
Well I just started my first defret on my Peavey Axcelerator, the only thing I don't really uderstand yet is wheter or not to polyurethane the finished product, some people say to put 8-10 coats of polyurethane, but chasarms didn't use any on the bass he shows on his website. What's the verdict? or at least some pro's con's.
I think the whole poly coat thing comes from Jaco. He did that to his bass, but you can't just use any old clear coat. You will need to use something very durable such as an epoxy-based, marine grade product. Otherwise, it will simply sluff off or be worn through fairly quickly.
While not as oily as ebony, rosewood is still somewhat oily. You may have difficulty getting something to adhere to the board.
I did not top coat the board because I did not feel it was needed. DB boards are not coated with anything and they last years between replaning. The bass that I defretted, strung with flats, has a very dark, soft old-school sort of tone.
I did try it with rounds as well, and the bass sounded pretty much the same as it did when fretted only with the whole mwahh thing happening. I didn't see any wear on the board using rounds, but I only had them one there for a few weeks.
If you want a brighter, zinging contemporary fretless tone, something like the Pedulla Buzzbass, you should probably consider coating with epoxy and going with rounds.
i defretted my cort action 5 string and put in a new bone nut, but i cant get the strings down low enough to tap, and im thinking its the bridge, since i cant get the intonation perfect either. also, it has NO sustain. not even a little. could i put something in the lines and improve sustain? also, if it is a bridge i need, any kind really great for fretless? or designed for fretless?
LASLO said:
i defretted my cort action 5 string and put in a new bone nut, but i cant get the strings down low enough to tap, and im thinking its the bridge, since i cant get the intonation perfect either. also, it has NO sustain. not even a little. could i put something in the lines and improve sustain? also, if it is a bridge i need, any kind really great for fretless? or designed for fretless?
What did you use for the slot filler? Soft materials could be at the root of the problem.
i didnt use anything to fill the slots. it doesnt buzz when i slide at all though. what about lowering the strings? ive done everything imaginable. ive sanded the nut (then it broke so i put the bone nut in) i messed with the trussrod, which warped the neck, so i fixed that too, then tok the saddles way back and lowered the action down all the way. should i just get a new bridge?
Well, you took the worst shortcuts you could have. No filler in the fret slots can account for your lack of sustain. The slots are somehow clamping the string vibration, hence no sustain.
Your arbitrary "adjustment" of the trussrod has likely left your neck in a shape that is NOT condusive to a good playing action. Trussrods shouldn't be messed with by anyone that doesn't take the time and interest to know what they do and how they do it.
You mention that you adjusted the saddles all the way back. This is another mistake that has left your instrument's intonation totally out of whack. Yep, even fretlesses need some intonation adjustment.
Your nut could have a bearing on the action also. Without matching the proper depth in the new string slots, you left the neck in a condition that would never be better by adjusting things on the other end like the saddles.
All in all, you've got a complete mess I'm sure. To tell you the truth, with all that has been done wrong here, you are chasing your tail to make what you've got into a decent player. It is especially difficult to judge the total package of misalignments and misadjustments to help over the web.
Your best bet would be to take it to a patient professional and hope that he can fix your attempt and ask that he show you some tips for making your own adjustments. That's the only way you're going to get this thing right.
Your arbitrary "adjustment" of the trussrod has likely left your neck in a shape that is NOT condusive to a good playing action. Trussrods shouldn't be messed with by anyone that doesn't take the time and interest to know what they do and how they do it.
You mention that you adjusted the saddles all the way back. This is another mistake that has left your instrument's intonation totally out of whack. Yep, even fretlesses need some intonation adjustment.
Your nut could have a bearing on the action also. Without matching the proper depth in the new string slots, you left the neck in a condition that would never be better by adjusting things on the other end like the saddles.
All in all, you've got a complete mess I'm sure. To tell you the truth, with all that has been done wrong here, you are chasing your tail to make what you've got into a decent player. It is especially difficult to judge the total package of misalignments and misadjustments to help over the web.
Your best bet would be to take it to a patient professional and hope that he can fix your attempt and ask that he show you some tips for making your own adjustments. That's the only way you're going to get this thing right.
i know what im doing well enough to not completely mess up my bass. i work at a guitar shop and have been doing work on basses and guitars for awhile now, but never come across fretless problems before. after moving the saddles back i realized intonation was off, so i fixed it. what kind of slot filler should i use? or should i get a new bridge?
hello badgers,
Ive only been playing almost 2 months. Whats up with fretless? what advantages, sound, etc. do they have. Can you any bass become a fretless, well, like be a good bass to turn into a fretless?
Cheers,
Chips
Ive only been playing almost 2 months. Whats up with fretless? what advantages, sound, etc. do they have. Can you any bass become a fretless, well, like be a good bass to turn into a fretless?
Cheers,
Chips
there are pros and cons to fretless playing. like that nice, roaring tone you get from fretless, but then the tendency to not have great slap tone also. fretless is wonderful. a good bass to turn fretless is one with ALOT of room to lower the action. you wanna get the strings close to the fretboard, but not close enough to fret out or buzz. make sure you know what your doing though. i almost made mine unplayable, until i consulted many a clinician and hardware store employee. ill answer any other questions you might have about fretless conversion if you decide to do it.
You never defret a bass to make it fretless.
Why? Because all the slots are empty and that creates
a weak neck. When you put the frets in those slots,
they become wedged and that creates the stability
of your neck. To make a fretless, you need a thicker
fretboard to create strength and make it more stable.
To defret a bass, you need a special pair of pliers that
you can buy from Stewart McDonald. You lift the end
of one side, slide the cutting edge of the pliers under
the tung and keep lifting 1/8 at the time untill you
reach the other end. If it chips, you go only 1/16
at the time and be more carefull and patient.
Good Luck
Rene (20 years experience as a luthier)
My site:
www.royguitars.com
Why? Because all the slots are empty and that creates
a weak neck. When you put the frets in those slots,
they become wedged and that creates the stability
of your neck. To make a fretless, you need a thicker
fretboard to create strength and make it more stable.
To defret a bass, you need a special pair of pliers that
you can buy from Stewart McDonald. You lift the end
of one side, slide the cutting edge of the pliers under
the tung and keep lifting 1/8 at the time untill you
reach the other end. If it chips, you go only 1/16
at the time and be more carefull and patient.
Good Luck
Rene (20 years experience as a luthier)
My site:
www.royguitars.com
Hey Chasarms, when I get my new bass, would you defret my old one? I would pay shipping, and materials and labor. How much would you want? I'm 14 and dont have the knowledge or experience.
yeah I defretted mine and filled the slots with wood putty. I put 3 coats of polyeurethane (sry if its spelled wrong) on it and restrung it. But now i get a buzzing sound (kinda like a sitar) on some places on the neck. Dont get me wrong i love the sitar, but I love my bass more so i need some help. I'm afraid to sand it too much cuz i dont know it that will ruin the shape of the fretboard. Does anyone have any advice?
thanks
thanks